Skip to main content

Square-Enix hints at a new sequel in the works, with Deus Ex: Human Defiance

deus ex through the wall
Image used with permission by copyright holder

2012 was not a great year for Square-Enix’s console game business. The calendar year started strong thanks to swift sales of Final Fantasy XIII-2, but investors don’t care about games that come out in January! The fiscal year ends in March, and Square’s big guns from March 2012 to December, namely Sleeping Dogs and Hitman: Absolution, didn’t hit the mark. Square-Enix reported a $61 million loss for the period. If only it were still 2011 when Deus Ex: Human Revolution came out and “favorably grew sales of packaged software” as the earnings report at the time put it. Looks like Square’s going back to the cybernetic well, as a trademark for a new Deus Ex game appeared online on Tuesday.

Recommended Videos

Square-Enix registered a trademark for Deus Ex: Human Defiance on Tuesday in the UK, a trademark that covers first and foremost “computer games software,” but also “printed matter” like books and “entertainment services.”

 Given how the Eidos Montreal-made game helped Square-Enix weather some tumultuous financial times two years back, it’s no wonder the company is interested in continuing the series. Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada said as much in November 2011, confirming that Deus Ex was one of ten core intellectual properties that would become franchises for the company. There is also a Deus Ex: Human Revolution movie in the works that is currently being helmed by horror director Scott Derrickson. 

Games industry hawk Superannuation also spotted a number of job postings last summer for a “semi open-world action adventure title that responds to player choice and interaction” developed by a “major Canadian company.” Since Eidos Montreal has already discussed its work on Thief 4, another semi-open world game that responds to choice, Superannuation pegged this as a sign that Deus Ex 4 was in active development.

There are other possibilities, though. Straight Right games, the Australian studio behind the Wii U port of Mass Effect 3, confirmed in October that it’s working on a port of a major franchise from Square-Enix for Nintendo’s console. Studio head Tom Crago said that it was a 2013 title from Square-Enix. With Tomb Raider out next week and no word of a Wii U port in sight, it could be an updated version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution given a fancy new name, possibly even upgraded for new consoles like PlayStation 4.

There’s another possibility as well. With the initials “HD” in the subtitle, Human Defiance could always be an HD remake of the 2000 original Deus Ex.

Anthony John Agnello
Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. He works as the Community Manager of Joystiq.com and his writing has…
This iBuyPower gaming PC with 16GB of RAM is on sale for $830
The iBuyPower Element SE gaming PC on a white background.

For gaming PC deals that will give you excellent value, you should check out iBuyPower offers. Here's one from Best Buy: the iBuyPower Element SE gaming desktop at $100 off, which pulls its price down from $930 to $830. Gamers who are looking for a gaming PC for less than $1,000 won't want to miss this bargain, but you're going to have to hurry if you're interested because there's no assurance that the discount will still be online by tomorrow.

Why you should buy the iBuyPower Element SE gaming PC

Read more
Exclusive: Samsung TVs are getting a free new app today featuring original games
Exclusive: Select Samsung Smart TVs and monitors will get a new GameBreaks app starting today alongside an original new puzzle game.
A Samsung executive stands in front of a GameBreaks app screen.

A free new app will start rolling out on Samsung Smart TVs today: GameBreaks. It's a new gaming app which will feature an array of original titles that will be expanded over time. The app is launching with a brand new puzzle game today called Ripplash.

GameBreaks is the next step in an ongoing gaming push for Samsung. In 2022, the company rolled out a Samsung Gaming Hub app to select TVs that pulled together cloud streaming services like GeForce Now. It has built on that strategy over the past three years, adding Xbox Game Pass to the mix, creating its own controller, and launching original games in the form of The Six and Rivals Arena.

Read more
Borderlands 4 pushes the series forward while addressing past mistakes
A psycho in Borderlands 4.

Multiplayer shooters have evolved quite a bit since the first Borderlands was released in 2009, but I can appreciate that Gearbox Entertainment’s series has stayed mostly the same over that time. Booting up a Borderlands game, I always know I can expect vibrant comic-book style visuals, solid solo or co-op shooter gameplay, charmingly grating humor, and a whole lot of loot. All of these things still ring true and louder than ever in Borderlands 4, but the latest Borderlands game is also shaping up to be the most experimental one yet.

Last month, I visited 2K’s headquarters in Novato, California, and played a couple of hours of Borderlands 4. The more traditionally designed, Destiny-like open world structure stood out, but all of the new movement options available during combat were also a real game-changer. The over-the-top humor and the number of legendary drop have both been drastically reduced, which gives Borderlands 4 a slightly different feel than Borderlands 3. All of this makes Borderlands 4 feel different than what has come before, but ultimately just as appealing.

Read more